9:50 p.m. Strike vote coverage is closing up for tonight. Visit our new teachers contract page on Thursday morning for what happens next. We will have reactions from parents, a closer look at the strike vote, and a live chat at noon with our Portland Public Schools reporter, Nicole Dungca.9:25 p.m.How are kids reacting to the possibility of a
strike? We asked two Wilson High teachers emerging from the strike vote.
"They've been supportive, really, really supportive," said Lise Flores, who
teaches Spanish. When Wilson students
were preparing to walk out in support of teachers Wednesday, many asked her what they should do. "I said, 'I don't want you
to get in trouble,'" Flores said. "But they said, 'We want to support you, and we want to do
this.'" Teacher Stephanie Pringle said of her students:
"Some of the younger freshman at first are like, 'Yay, no school.' But as
we talk about it and talk about how this is going to affect everybody, they
begin to be a little more somber and understand the impact that this could have
on their lives."

9:08 p.m. The sidewalks outside Schnitzer cleared quickly after the vote, but not everyone went home. Carol Berkley visited with colleagues at The Heathman Hotel bar down the street, attempting to relax after a tense evening. There is a "complete disconnect," between management and the teachers, Berkley said. She "feels so sorry" for the principals, she said, because they're stuck in the middle. She's encouraged by the vote. "It's so much bigger than this strike," Berkley said. "I'm looking for this strike to move us into the budget season. The community needs to have a voice."9:06 p.m. More from teachers union president Gwen Sullivan. She said parents shouldn’t send their students over the picket line, but should instead join teachers in supporting the cause. She said the district could avoid a strike by addressing issues important to teachers. “We’ve talked about real workload, class size relief,” said Sullivan. “And we need to hold our folks financially harmless.”9:04 p.m. School board co-chair Greg Belisle said he was “really disappointed” in the vote but hoped there would be a deal before Feb. 20 to end the possibility of a strike. “I think we’ve said it’s really hard on our communities, and it’s unfortunate that PAT took this step,” he said. “I just know it’s a really stressful time and our responsibility is, in part, to make sure that regardless of what happens, that we honor our commitment to create a safe environment for kids,” he said.

View full sizeThe union bargaining team after the vote.Nicole Dungca/The Oregonian

8:55 p.m.We're getting a few more details about the scene inside the hall during tonight's vote. In advance of the vote, five individuals took about 10 minutes to make arguments about striking: three in favor, two against. Teachers and others covered by the contract were then asked to stand for separate tallies in support of or opposition to a strike. The vote in favor was "definitely a majority, by far," said Aaron Byer, a math teacher at Roosevelt High School. 8:45 p.m. Gwen Sullivan, president of the Portland Association of Teachers, confirms to reporters that strike would begin Feb. 20 if no resolution were reached by then. She said support was "overwhelming."

8:25 p.m. Four teachers leaving the hall said the strike would begin Feb. 20 if no deal is reached before then. The union is expected to give it's 10-day notice to the district tomorrow, said Stephanie Pringle, a teacher at Wilson High School. Teacher Stephanie Windham from Rosa Parks Elementary said the
mood among union members at the vote was "sad but empowered. It was an uproar. We are united." But Julana
Torres, a teacher at Franklin high school, said she felt "extremely disheartened" after the vote. "I don't feel
like celebrating. It makes me nauseous to think that if this goes through, I
have to leave my kids."

8:21 p.m. Motion has passed. The union has voted to authorize a strike. Teachers say the vote was nearly unanimous.8:20 p.m.Teachers are emerging from the hall. 8:08 p.m. Motion has been made. They are about to vote. 8:06 p.m. In Medford, meanwhile, Superintendent Phil Long sent parents a letter Wednesday announcing that schools would be closed Thursday, according to the Medford Mail Tribune. Teachers planned to strike Thursday if a contract agreement wasn't finalized by 6 a.m. In his letter, Long said schools could be closed through Monday and, in case of a strike, will reopen Tuesday with substitute teachers and a modified schedule, the Mail Tribune reported.

8:05 p.m. Maurice Cowley, language arts teacher at Northeast Portland's Madison High School, apparently tweeting from inside the hall (@cowlema): "They're calling for a vote so that we can all go home and go to bed. This speech is good though."

7:42 p.m.We've just uploaded another new video from outside the Schnitz a little earlier in the evening.

7:35 p.m. It's not clear how long the lead-up to the vote, or the vote itself, will take. We're standing by.

View full sizeStudents from the Portland Student Union brought an inflatable flamingo as an homage to the flamingo flap, when hundreds mysteriously appeared overnight in Portland School board members' front yards. Stephanie Yao Long/The OregonianStephanie Yao Long/The Oregonian

7:15 p.m.According to a document presented to teachers before the meeting, the motion on the table tonight -- made and seconded by the bargaining team -- is this: "PAT shall call a legal strike."7:01 p.m. "Hurry up and get in. They're going to close the doors."

6:50 p.m. Taryn Mazza, a parent with children at Buckman Elementary, brought her children to the pre-vote rally to show support for teachers. “They work hard,” she said. "They deal with our kids so we can have lives.” Mazza said she experienced a teacher strike when she was in 4th grade in Rhode Island. She will keep her children home from school if PPS teachers walk out. Her husband works from home, and she works half days. "We can make it work," she said. “I’m sure it’s going to hard for the nine-to-fivers, the suits.”

Solidarity Beatbox at teacher strike voteA beatbox performance outside Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in downtown Portland on Wednesday in support of the teachers union, who were voting on whether to strike.

6:45 p.m. It's drawing close to time for doors to close at the Schnitz. Teacher Lisa Wilkins doesn't like the flashing lights on the hall's marquee. "I don't think this is a festive occasion," she said.

6:40 p.m. Beaumont
Middle School teachers Margaret Ruhlman and Kirsten Parrott arrived at the
Schnitzers back entrance at 6:30 p.m. expecting to vote in favor of a strike.
Ruhlman was fired up. She gestured wildly and her voice rose as she talked
about what she described as the district's ever-changing bureaucracy and
teaching goals. "Let us teach," she said. "Find something. Stick with it."

6:25 p.m. William Macklin, a special education technology
consultant districtwide, said he plans to vote 'yes' to authorize a strike but
hasn't prepared for one. "I hope it doesn't come to that," he said. He expects
the union to approve a strike he said, and he hopes the vote will speed up negotiations.
"The whole process needs to speed up," he said, adding he think the district has
been "spinning" promises to negotiate.

5:55 p.m. Outside the Schnitzer substitute teacher Steven Rosenfeld greeted teachers and offered drivers parking suggestions. Rosenfeld has been teaching for 35 years, the last three as a sub. If teachers strike he could stand to get more work. He won’t take it. “Not even a question,” he said. Rosenfeld said the district has left teachers “fed up. This is our only means left for expression.”

View full sizeTeachers and their supporters warmed themselves with hot chocolate in the frigid temperatures while waiting to enter the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall for the vote.Brad Schmidt/The Oregonian

5:46 p.m. A van
pulled up in front of Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and several women poured
out. The teachers at Southeast Portland's Marcus Whitman Elementary said they're
100 percent confident the teachers will approve a strike tonight. "This is just
a formality," said Mariko Yoshiwara, a first-grade teacher. For Lisa Wilkins,
the school's building representative for the union, the teaching workload is a
major issue. As a veteran teacher who's worked in the district 27 years,
Wilkins said she feels pressured to do as much extra work as the younger
teachers who are more eager and more energetic. "I have seen Portland go from a
top-notch district to a district where money is misappropriated," the third
grade teacher said.

5:37 p.m. Inside
the bar of the Heathman Hotel, seven teachers from Whitman Elementary drank
wine and ate burgers before the vote. "I think we'll have a yes vote for sure,"
said Michele Huffman, 47, who teaches second-grade. Huffman has 28 kids in
her class and said workload and a reduced class size are her top priorities. "We're
hoping that if a strike vote is a 'yes,' they'll understand we're unified and
they'll try to resolve this quickly," she said. Remy Bennett, a kindergarten
teacher, said she doesn't want to strike and potentially hand her classroom over
to a substitute.âÂÂÂ¨"I don't want to tell my kids, 'I'll be gone' one day," she
said. "I don't want a stranger in my room."

View full sizeMembers of the Portland State University faculty union, which faces its own negotiations with college administrators, came out to show solidarity with the Portland Association of Teachers.Nicole Dungca/The Oregonian

5:33 p.m. Steven Orndorff, 61, a 15-year veteran special ed teacher,
said he's planned for what he would have to do during a strike. "I'll rip through
my retirement money, but I can still keep me fed and housed," he said. "I'll
maybe go to the San Juan Islands with the girlfriend." His feeling toward the
district right he described as "a combination of ire and anger." As for his
students' sentiments about a possible strike, he said: "The kids are scared and
they're angry too."

5:15 p.m.Grant senior Caleb Gumanow, 18, was among a handful of students from Grant High gathered near the
entrance to the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in freezing temperatures. "We believe that our teachers and our schools are really
important because they are the people who inspire us to be who we're going to
be," Gumanow said. His friend, fellow senior Connor Garrett,
17, added, "Hopefully, the fact that it's so cold shows how serious we are."

4:45 p.m. We have posted a video with Superintendent Carole Smith from earlier today.3:38 p.m.Superintendent Carole Smith earlier today sent a message to community members reminding them schools would continue operating as usual, even if a strike is approved tonight. Here's some of the letter released by the district:

I am writing to let you know that the labor union representing PPS teachers will take a strike vote tonight, Feb. 5. A vote to authorize a strike does not necessarily mean a strike will occur. Before the teachers actually strike, the union must give 10 days of notice.
If teachers give notice of a strike, we will quickly inform families and provide detailed information about school schedules, preparation days and programs including Special Education and other specialized services. Until then, schools continue to operate as usual.

I know that a strike would be extremely disruptive for your student and your family. Should a strike occur, we cannot replace the essential role of our teachers. However, I want you to know that our goal will be to keep schools open and to continue to support students and families.

3:15 p.m.Lincoln High School's walkout involved about 100 students. We just uploaded a video from the event.

Lincoln High School students walk outLincoln High School students staged a walkout Wednesday in hopes of pressuring the Portland Association of Teachers and Portland Public Schools to avert a strike.

View full sizeCleveland High students ended their march back at the school.Melissa Binder/The Oregonian

2:20 p.m.Cleveland students, whose march route include the Ladds Addition traffic circle, ended the protest action back at the high school. "We shouldn't be fearing the next cuts to our schools," said Zoe Laud, a junior. "The district should be fearing us."1:30 p.m.Promptly at 12:45 p.m., some students at Lincoln High School
walked out of their seventh-period classes to bring attention to the
stalled contract negotiations between the school district and the
teachers’ union.

As students wandered the halls, some screamed “Walkout!” while others quietly asked friends if they planned to participate.

Senior Emma Hoffman organized the event.

Standing
in the high school’s courtyard as about 100 students held signs and
chanted, Hoffman said contract negotiations are going “nowhere” and
students need to pressure both sides to reach a compromise.

“I
view these protests putting a lot of pressure on the district and the
union to come together and sit down at the negotiation table and make
the necessary compromises and concessions,” she said.

The vast
majority of Lincoln’s nearly 1,600 students didn’t participate in the
walkout. Among those who didn’t: freshman Tatyana Okatch.

“I
support the teachers but I don’t want to go,” she said, noting that
she’d be missing class. “I don’t know if you support teachers by leaving
class.”

Students were warned that those who walked out of class
would be marked absent, leaving athletes unable to participate in events
Wednesday.

Principal Peyton Chapman said she celebrates civic
involvement by students but is disappointed if that means missing class
time.

At about 1 p.m., Lincoln’s students left the school property and began marching toward downtown.

“We don’t want to see a strike,” Hoffman, the organizer, said. “No one wants to see a strike.”

After Cleveland High students in Southeast Portland walked out around the same hour as Lincoln, they also marched, encountering Portland police who warned the marchers to stay on the sidewalks or face arrest.

"Whose schools? Our schools!" the students chanted. "We're the future of this nation. We deserve an education!"

The Portland Student Union said earlier in the week it planned to hold
"solidarity actions" in support of the teachers union Wednesday at
various high school campuses.Cleveland, Lincoln, Grant, and Madison high schools were expected to hold walkouts, while Jefferson and Wilson were holding lunch-hour rallies.

The student union said in a statement that "due to unfair district bargaining, a strike may be necessary to win the schools we deserve."